Best sat navs for a European road trip

Travel 2019-7-12

If a summer road trip is on the cards for you, we take a look at some of the best sat navs on the market to help you along your way.

Choosing to drive abroad can be a smart move if you want the independence to explore without restricting yourself to public transport. But getting lost in a foreign country can be daunting, so we’ve done some digging into the best sat navs currently available on the market to make your road tripping a bit easier.

Budget

Mio MiVue Drive 50 LM

If you’re looking for a sat nav jammed packed with useful features at an affordable price then this one is just for you.

Not only do you get European maps, lifetime updates and lifetime safety camera warning but it also includes a high quality dash cam. The dash cam will capture any incidents automatically which is reassuring when travelling in another country.

Additional features include lane departure, collision warnings and a 16GB memory card included as standard.

Cost: Under £170

Bigger vehicles

Garmin Camper

If you’re taking your campervan or caravan on tour then you might be worried about unsuitable or inaccessible routes.

The Garmin Camper allows you to input the size of your vehicle, providing you with customised routes that will avoid narrow roads. It also comes with a large 6.95-inch screen, European maps with lifetime updates, a campsite directory, speed limit notifications, speed camera warnings, traffic warnings, and Bluetooth.

It’s safe to say that this sat nav has everything you need to make your holiday driving a stress-free experience.

Cost: Under £280

Premium

Garmin DriveLuxe 51 LMT-D

If you’re looking for more than just your average sat nav then this one has it all.

It comes with a sleek metal casing, magnet mount, and super sharp 5inch screen, but the Garmin DriveLuxe 51 LMT-D isn’t just pleasing to the eye.

Be careful: Unlike in the UK, in most European countries, it’s illegal to use a sat nav with speed camera alerts. It’s best to check the road laws of any country you intend to travel to and from in order to stay out of trouble. If you’re still unsure, disable this alert option. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Alternatives

If you prefer using your phone for navigation, then these are some of the best apps available for both IOS and Android.

Google Maps

The Google Maps app makes everything from landmarks to restaurants an absolute breeze to find. You can use this as a tool for reference or on the road as a sat nav. Google has an extensive search engine database so you’re sure to arrive at your destination whether you have an exact postcode or just a loose search term.

Cost: Free

Waze

Drivers in your area share real-time traffic and road updates, saving you fuel and time. Waze also allows you to be connected socially with people driving in your area, great if you’re travelling with friends and all going to the same destination.

Cost: Free

Navmii

Similar to Waze, Navmii relies on its community of users to keep drivers in the loop. The great thing about this app is that you can download maps before your journey, saving on large data bills and journey time.

Cost: Free

Co Pilot

This app is great for giving you detailed traffic updates. It also informs you of the current speed limit and warns you of cameras. You can download your maps in advance so you don’t need to worry about data bills or loss of signal either. The only downside to this app is the initial cost of £25.99, but if your priority is a reliable offline map then it might be a cost worth considering.

Cost: £25.99

Don’t forget, since 15th June 2017, calls texts and data roaming across the EU cost the same as in the UK, so you don’t need to worry about data roaming charges.

Hitachi Hints and Tips is intended to be informative and interesting. It does not constitute financial advice, and you should always do further research when making any financial decisions. All information was correct at date of publication.